Nigerian citizens and members of the South African police have protested outside a medical facility on Saturday following the death of a Nigerian in police custody in Johannesburg.

Details are still hazy as to what exactly happened, but some versions claim that the 33 year old Nigerian was a drug peddler who swallowed his ware when he was chased and captured by the police on West Street in the Kempton Park area of the city.

Assaulted To Death

The Chairman of the Nigerian Union in Gauteng, however, disputed this, saying that the victim was assaulted to death by the police.

Hundreds of Nigerians gathered outside the hospital, trying to prevent the police from taking out the body from the police vehicle for forensic examination. The forensic experts had to come outside to retrieve the body.

The police officials, who would not speak to the media on the scene, assured the Nigerian Union that the matter had been referred to the Independent Police Investigations Directorate (IPID) and would be looked into in the interest of justice.